When visiting Mendocino, California last month I knew I’d want to see the redwoods and drink my weight in wine but I wasn’t prepared for the beauty of the California coastline. I’ve been to California many times but never to Mendocino and this trip really made me fall in love with this area of the state! It’s just 3.5 hours North of San Francisco, it’s surrounded by state parks and it’s absolutely stunning!
There are many different hikes in Mendocino county ranging from redwoods to coastline but these are my favorite coastline/beach hikes in Mendocino. I would classify these as walks as they aren’t difficult or long but if I titled this post “walks” instead of hikes you would have never found it when searching google. The best part? If you’re staying right in the town of Mendocino you can even walk to one of these and the others are less than 30 minutes away by car!
Mendocino Headlands State Park
Mendocino Point Trail
This walk is awesome because you can park right downtown Mendocino and walk over to it. There is no specific spot that you have to start but you’ll see the trail as soon as you start walking to the cliffs. We parked right on Main street and walked over to it and we walked for about a mile until the fog lifted and then came back to the car. We only saw a few other people on the trail but keep in mind we were visiting in late February, we hear in the summer this trail is very busy. For a longer walk (4 miles) you can explore Mendocino Headlands Trail.
Belinda Point
Located just 10 minutes North from the town of Mendocino is a beautiful walk to Belinda Point Cove just south of the town, Fort Bragg. This walk is only a mile round trip and is quite interesting because although it is a public trail, you pretty much walk in between two people’s private properties. It’s awesome though because there are steps leading down to the beach and the views are incredible. Apparently it’s very common for fishing as well.
MacKerricher State Park
Ten Mile Beach Trail
Located just 30 minutes North of the town of Mendocino, Ten Mile Beach is the long stretch of coastline at Inglenook Fen Ten Mile Dunes Preserve in MacKerricher State Park. The beach (which despite its name is actually about four miles long). This beach trail starts at the North end of Main Beach and continues just south of Seaside Beach. You can walk the entirety and back (8 miles) or just as for however long you want! There used to be a trail here but they have removed it to restore the dunes habitat so be prepared to walk in the sand, it’s quite the workout but so worth it! Although we didn’t do it, we heard that you can horseback ride along this beach.
Russian Gulch State Park
Headlands Trail, Russian Gulch Bridge Viewpoint and Devils Punchbowl
Located just 5 minutes North of Mendocino you’ll find the Russian Gulch State Park. This state park has 15 miles of trails and is the perfect mix of forest hikes and beach views! As you’ve probably noticed a lot of these hikes have similar names (because all of the cliffs around this area are considered Headlands) so I’ve put some tips to make sure you are searching the right one.
Someone recommended this short walk to us but we couldn’t find it at first. Luckily we typed in Russian Gulch Bridge Viewpoint and finally found it. (Looking over the Panhorst Bridge and there are picnic tables here with the view above) You can park here and then continue the walk to the Headlands Trail which is right along the cliff.
On your way back to your car make sure you visit the “Devils Punchbowl”. You can’t miss it just look for the fence. You can look down into the punchbowl or sinkhole (it’s referred to as both) and see water coming in and out through the tunnels which connect it to the ocean.
Van Damme State Park
Pygmy Forest Discovery Trail / Van Damme State Park Beach
We heard a lot about this hike and although we didn’t do it ourselves I still wanted to post about it. This trail starts at the Pygmy Forest Discovery Trail and then you can get back in your car and end at the beach at Van Damme State Park Beach. This trail is just 10 minutes SE of the town of Mendocino. It’s an extremely short walk (not even a half of a mile) but it sounds so interesting if you want to learn about the century-old dwarf forest! If you go or have ever been please comment below. Here is a photo I pulled from the California State Parks website.
I did some research and learned from Mendocino.com that “this unique forest of low, stunted trees and shrubs is caused by a complex ecological condition associated with underlying wave terraces and their unusual soils.” Apparently, this walk is gorgeous in the spring because of all the wildflowers. After your short walk, head to the beach and enjoy the sunshine! If the water is calm I recommend renting a kayak as the pictures look beautiful.
Mendocino is the perfect place for coastline hikes! There are so many viewpoints than just the five I have listed here so get out there and explore and find your favorites. Like I said before, there are many hikes in Mendocino offering so many different views and levels so everyone can find one that works for them! Click the link to read more about my hiking adventures and thanks for reading along!
